Treat of the Week: Baked Ziti and Marble Pound Cake

This week's treat from my mother's kitchen is an exceptional baked ziti. Now, this just isn’t any baked ziti. No, no, this is alive with fresh herbs, broccoli and beautiful mushrooms, bubbling beneath beautiful cheese and luscious sauce! Along with this savory delight, we enjoyed a delightful salad of field greens dressed with tomatoes, olives, hearts of palm, carrots, pancetta, avocado, artichoke hearts and crumbled blue cheese. 

And, the dessert was just as exquisite, offering a little something for everyone.   It’s a delightful marble pound cake. You see, that’s the beauty of a marble pound cake—each bite offers up a different combination of flavors sure to satisfy every palette.

Homemade chocolate and sour cream (made with  brown sugar) pound cake batters have been swirled and baked to perfection. You can always tell when a pound cake is perfect because of the way it slices. An ideal pound cake will be able to be sliced paper-thin without losing its integrity. This one exhibits that “perfect pound cake property.” You can slice this as thin as a business card and it won’t crumble or break. But, my question is—why would you want to? I say, the bigger the piece the better.  Served with freshly whipped cream, it's a delicious dessert to conclude a joyous dinner.